Antipanic fastening device



July.13, 1937. w, RUTH ANTIPANIC FASTENING DEVICE Filed April 4, 1936 24 if s m ZZ INVENTOR mwra zam ATTORNEY Patented July 13, 1937 iJNlTED STATS OFFICE 2,087,165 AN'rrrANro FASTENING DEVICE William P. Ruth, Downs, Kans. Application April 4, 1936, Serial No. 72,806

Claims. (Cl. 29292) This invention relates to anti-panic fastening in Figure 2, and pivotally or hingedly secured devices or latches primarily designed for use on to the base plate I is a latch plate 2 having emergency exit doors of buildings frequented by formed with the outer end thereof a cam head large crowds of people and its general object is 3 Which provides a shoulder, as shown. to provide a fastening device which can be eas- Secured'to the jamb or abutment strip of the ily and expeditiously disposed to unlatched posidoor, and in the path of the latch plate 2, is a tion from the inside of the building merely by keeper plate 4 having a cam head 5 providing a pressure applied to the releasing lever thereof shoulder to receive the shoulder of the cam head in various directions and at any place trans- 3 for latching the door in closed position.

1 versely of the door, in that the lever extends Secured to the door adjacent to its hinge poracross the door for disposal in the path of a pertion, is a bracket 6 which includes an outwardly son or persons coming in contact therewith by directed ear I having an opening therein for being forced toward the door, and the lever can the purpose of loosely receiving for slidable movebe voluntarily actuated by pulling or pushing merit and swivel connection to the ear, one end forwardly or rearwardly or by raising or lowerportion of a releasing bar or lever 8 for the latch. ing the same, yet the fastener holds the door The bar is held connected to the bracket through closed and locked against being opened from the the instrumentality of a collar 9 that is fixed outside of the building to prevent unauthorized thereto by a set screw as shown, whereby the entrance. collar can be adjustably positioned on the bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide The opposite end of the bar in the form as 20 an anti-panic latching device for doors, that is shown is provided with an opening or eye ID to simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacreceive one eyed end of a link II which has its ture, easy to install, requires minimum if any opposite eyed end received in an opening I2 in attention and lubrication, will not stick under an ear l3 which is formed on or otherwise seany circumstances, will operate even though it cured to the outer end of the latch plate 2 and 25 becomes rusty and is extremely efiicient in use disposed at right angles with respect thereto. and service. i In order to hold the latch plate normally in This invention also consists in certain other latched position, there is provided a leaf spring features of construction and in the combination l4 that has one of its ends fixed to the base and arangement of the several parts, to be hereplate I and its opposite end fixed to the latch O inafter fully described, illustrated in the accomplate 2, and due to the fact that the leaf spring panying drawing and specifically pointed out in is curved in the position shown, it urges the the appended claims. latch plate outwardly at all times to not only In describing the invention in detail, referhold the latch in operative position, but when ence will be had to the accompanying drawing the door is being closed, the cam face of the 35 wherein like characters denote like or, correhead 3 will contact the cam face of the head sponding parts throughout the several views, and 5 to move the latch plate 2, to a position for disin which: posing the shoulder of the head 3 against that of Figure 1 is a fragmentary view illustrating my the head 5, or to latched position, as best shown latching device in applied position. in Figure 2. 40

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View taken In Figures 3 and 4 there is illustrated the use through a door and its frame, and illustrates the of spring pressed bolt type latching means dis- -latching device in operative position in full lines posed at the upper and lower ends of the door and released in dotted lines. 'A, for association with the stile and threshold Figure 3 is a view illustrating the application of the door, and of course the lower latching 45 of a modified form of the invention. means can have its bolt received in an opening Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through the in the floor adjacent to the door, as these latchmodified form. ing means are for the purpose of holding the Referring to the drawing in detail, and pardoor in closed position and can be arranged or ticularly to Figures 1 and 2, it will be noted that associated with any means for that purpose. 50

the form of the invention illustrated thereby Secured to the door is a base plate I5 from includes a latch having a base plate I with openwhich extends a spindle IS, the latter having a lngs therein to receive securing means such as head thereon for holding a sleeve l1 rotatably screws for fixing the plate I to the door A admounted on the spindle, and projecting in oppo- 5 jacent to the free portion thereof, as best shown site directionsfrom the sleeve are arms it normally disposed vertically, with openings in the outer ends thereof, for the connection of one of the ends of rods i9 thereto, while the opposite ends of the rods are connected to the bolts of the latching means 2i at the upper and lower ends of the doors, as shown.

The sleeve 5? has likewise formed thereon and rising therefrom in spaced parallel relation with respect to the uppermost arm I8, an arm 22 to which is loosely connected one end of a link 23 similar to the link i I, and the opposite end of the link 23 is loosely connected to the apertured end of a bar or lever 24 similar to the lever 6. The lever 2 is likewise received by a bracket 25 for swivel connection thereto, and for slidable movement therethrough.

From the above description and disclosure of the drawing, it will be obvious that in either form of the invention shown, movement of the releasing bar or lever which may be termed a floating bar, in various directions, will release the door and allow the same to be swung to open position.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An anti-panic device for doors comprising latching means. nlo-rmally securing a doorl in closed position, a rigid bar extending across the door and having a swivel and slidingconnection therewith at one of its ends, a link having loose connection with the latching means and the opposite end of the bar whereby upon moving the bar in various directions, the latching means will be operated to released position.

2. An anti-panic device for doors, comprising latching means normally securing a door in closed position, a bracket secured to the door, a rigid bar extending across'the door and having one end loosely connected to the bracket and mounted for slidable movement therein, a link loosely connected to the opposite end of the bar and the latch means respectively for operating the latter to releasing position upon movement of the bar in various directions.

3. An anti-panic device for doors, comprising latching means for normally securing a door in closed position and including keeper means, a spring pressed latch plate pivotally connected to the door and received by the keeper means, a bracket secured to the door and including an ear having an opening therein, a rigid bar loosely mounted in the opening for slidable movement, means secured to the bar for connecting the latter to the ear, and a link loosely connecting the bar to the latch plate for releasing the latter from the keeper upon movement of the bar in various directions.

4. An anti-panic device for doors comprising latching means for normally securing a door in closed position and including a keeper plate, a cam head formed on the keeper plate, a base plate secured to the door adjacent the free portion thereof, a latch plate pivotally secured to the base plate, a cam head on the latch plate and cooperating with the cam head of the keeper plate, for holding the door in said position, spring means for urging the latch plate toward the keeper plate and to retain the latch in operative position, and a rigid bar extending across the door and having one end loosely connected thereto, andits opposite end loosely linked to the latch plate for releasing the latter from the keeper plate upon movement of the bar in various direc tions.

5. An anti-panic device for doors comprising latching means including spring pressed bolts secured to a door at the upper and lower ends thereof adjacent its free portion, means for actuating said bolts to released position, and a rigid bar extending across the door and loosely connected thereto and loosely linked to the releasing means for operating the latter to releasing position upon movement of the bar in various directions.

WILLIAM P. RUTH. 

